摘要: |
An enthusiastic crowd of about 300 people turned out at the Jerry F. Costello Lock and Dam, at the mouth of the Kaskaskia River, on September 9 to inaugurate a brand-new towboat and to honor its namesake. The Robert S. Wilkins, built for Southern Illinois Transfer Company (SITCO) at Kaskaskia River Shipyard, is the first towboat built in compliance with Subchapter M regulations in the Sector Upper Mississippi River. The man they were honoring retired on September 30, 2020, after a career of 46 years and 11 months spent working for the Corps of Engineers. Wilkins was repeatedly described as a legend by speakers including Kurt Johnson, CEO of SITCO. Wilkins played a key role in the revival of commercial traffic on the Kaskaskia River, which was threatened as a commercial waterway in the 1990s. |